purewellnessamy

Hi there – it’s Saturday!  And it looks like it’s going to be a beautiful weekend here in Massachusetts.  I hope it’s just as nice wherever you are.   

Well, this is my last post in the Loving Local: Celebrating the Flavors of Massachusetts blogathon.  I want to again thank Tinky at In Our Grandmothers’ Kitchens for hosting this fun, informative, and I think, really important event.  I hope we do it again next year.   

And of course I want to say a BIG THANK YOU to all of the vendors at the Beaver Brook Parking Lot Farmer’s Market in Worcester.  We truly appreciate all of your hard work and your ability to stay cool and friendly at the market during this long, hot summer. We’ve enjoyed many delicious meals thanks to you, and for that we are very grateful   We are looking forward to the fall harvest!   

Ok, so today I’m going to share a very easy recipe that my husband calls “Aunt Cindy’s Green Bean Salad.” Unfortunately, my version didn’t match Aunt Cindy’s in my husband’s mind, but I thought it was awesome and Peter ate quite a bit, too.   

Did you hear that sound? It was me kicking myself for not getting the name of the farm from where we bought the beans.  We bought them last Wednesday when I didn’t have my camera on me. I thought with my photographic memory (NOT) I’d be able to remember the name of the farm.  The stand wasn’t there on Friday when I was in full blogger/reporter mode, so now I’m left lacking the name of my source.  I will try to remedy this heinous oversight next week by adding the farm’s name in the comment section of this post.    

In the meantime, here are the anonymous green beans*:   

 

 

The smaller garden tomatoes are from the anonymous farm**, but the big tomato on the right, from a different farm, is an heirloom variety called Pruden’s Purple (which I heard coming from the farmer’s mouth as “Purple Prudence.” Thank God for the Internet.) Unfortunately, I didn’t get the name of that farmer either (the blogathon is really ending with a bang for me!)  It was the first time I saw him at the market and he specialized in heirloom tomatoes. He was also selling sheepskin. (And he was really cute — sorry husband, but it’s true. I may be 40 and married, but I ain’t dead. Aaand that’s what you get for dissing my green bean salad — ha ha :-) ).  If I see his stand again, I will get his information and post it in the comments section.  Purely for your edification.   

OK, seriously, onto the business at hand. I hesitate to even call this a recipe, since it’s really just tossing vegetables in a bowl with olive oil and seasoning:   

Green Bean Salad   

Serves 4   

Ingredients   

2 big handfuls of fresh green beans, washed and trimmed (by “trimmed” I mean the two tough ends are cut off)   

1/2 white or red onion, thinly sliced   

1 large tomato, or 2-3 small tomatoes, cut into good-sized chunks   

1-2 tablespoons really good olive oil   

salt and pepper   

Bowl of ice water   

Directions   

1. Blanch the green beans by bringing a pot of water to a boil. Add the washed and trimmed green beans to the boiling water and cook for one minute to a minute and a half.  Drain and immediately dump the beans into the bowl of ice water to stop them from further cooking. Drain after a few minutes of soaking in the cold bath. You want the beans to have a little crunch to them.   

2.  In a large bowl, toss the green beans, sliced onion, and tomato chunks with a tablespoon or two of olive oil and a pinch or two of salt. Season with more salt and pepper to your taste.  You could also add a splash of balsamic vinegar.   

My husband wasn’t too crazy about the salad because I let the beans boil for just 30 seconds. They were a bit too crunchy for his taste. So, you can experiment with the boiling to find your perfect crunch level.  I really loved this salad. It was rustic, fresh, and clean-tasting and the juices at the bottom of the bowl should be soaked up with a piece of good bread.   

 

 So, that is that.  If you live in Massachusetts and you haven’t already done so, please consider making a donation to The Federation of Mass Farmers Markets.    

Thanks so much for stopping by.  Have a great weekend!   

Oh, one last thing.  I came across this picture among  the pictures I took at the farmer’s market, and the first thing I thought of was “Rapunzel.”   

 

 UPDATED 9/8/10:  * The green beans came from E. L. Silvia Farms in Dighton, MA: http://www.farmfresh.org/food/farm.php?farm=2146 

**and the heirloom tomatoes were from Sweet Water Farm (I believe this is the correct farm http://www.farmfresh.org/food/farm.php?farm=2934)